The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-13
The Enthusiasm of Commissioner Col
man Over the Fort Scott Experiments.
The New Process Proves Complete Success,
and Demonstrates that Sugar Can Be Sue
cessfully Made from Sorghum Cane.
The President Resents Criticism Di-
rected at Fairchild's Bond Policy.
Probability that the Proposed Fisheries Com
mission Will Collapse-Doubts About
That Alleged Civil-Service Order.
SORGHUM CANE.

SORGHUM CANE.
Experiments Which Promise to Ultimately
Result in Great Benefit to the Country.
WAsHINaToN. Sept. l2.-Commssioner Col
man has just returned from an official visit to
Fort Scott, Kan, where the Department of Agri-
culture is conducting experiments in making
sugar from sorghum by the diffusion process,
and expresses himself as being delighted with
the results obtained already. He says the ex-
periments consist in the trial of new process
in making sugarin this country, which dispenses
entirely with the costly and ponderous mills and
steam-engines, ETC., and a far simpler aud
less expensive method for extracting the juice.
by which all the saccharne matter IS obtained,
while by the former methods from 80 to 40 per
cent. on the average of the juice, even with the
southern sugar-eane, is left in the cane after
passing through the mill, and with sorghum
a still larger quantity, because Of greater diff
Guilty in extracting. The new process is called
the diffusion. or saturation process. The cane
is cut into chips and passed into a battery of
twelve cells, each holding a ton of chips. Hot
water is then applied which rapidly exhausts
the saccharine matter, and so thoroughly that
there Us scarcely trace of it left The cells
entirely practical being speedily filled. manipu-
lated and emptied. one man attending the
tire operations The process is as rapid as tho
old method. less costly. and enables the manu-
facturers to secure and utilize all the juice in
stead of about half, as heretofore. Similar ex-
periments were made last year. but the cutting
machinery and the methods were all new here
and difficulties occurred which could not be
overcome at Some 80 900 pounds of
sugar were. however, made last year. though
he considered the experiments fail
rre The commissioner said: ..Having
ad more time and the experience of last year to
de US. am more than pleased to be able TO
y that all the difficulties seem now to have
been overcome No Touring mill is more surely
turning out its quota than is the Parkinson
sugar-works at Fort Scott. Kan. turning out its
quota of sugar to-day. and sugar of the best
quality. polarizing 1889. The mill is capable of
working up every twenty hours, $50 tons
of cane, making therefrom $4,000 pounds of
sugar. or more. From the first swinging in the
centrifueals. from 100 to lis pounds of sugar
per tpn of cane was obtained. and about twenty
pounds more are expected from tile sec
ond swic ginEe yie.i Of from ten to
fifteen tons OF per acre is being secured,
which would produce by this new process,
from 1000 to 500 pounds of sugar. This sugar
is worth by the carload sic per bound. left
there after the first weeks work. and it was es-
timated that 100. 0G0 pounds OF sugar had already
beer made The sugar was there to be seen by
everybody. too. Nor is this all To every ton
of cane, aside from the sugar in IL, there are
ten or twelve gallons of molasses, and also
the seed raised from the cane, amounting to
about twenty-five bushels per acre, and just as
good for feeding all kinds of stock as Indian
corn. Indeed, the seed. it is estimated will paw
for raising the cane, which is merit possessed
by other sugar plant. The people of Ft.
Scott, after the first weeks successful working
of the factory. carried away with enthu-
sasm. The board of trade called public meet
ing and filled of the largest halls in the city,
where congratuatory speeches were made, fol-
lowed by a BANQUET and there Was general ra-
ioicng throughout the city.
1.-THE department is also conducting expert
ments at Rio Grande, n j., with the same pro-
cess, and have just received a telegram from
our superintendent. who says 'As nearly as
can be estimated from the masecu.e in the boz
room, the first of cane will yield about l.
100 pounds of crystallized sugar. This confirms
the experiment at Ft Scott, the yield not being
quite as large in New Jersey, the soil not being
so rich.
1.-THE results of these experiments upon the
country will. l believe be most beneficial Our
nation is paying $00 000 900 ually to the sugar
producers of other countries, and il we have
demonstrated that we proftably produce
sugar on our own farms, it is matter of the
highest Importance to the country. 1t will not
only keep this money at home, but will save to
our people S. 900. 600 annually in customs duties
A complete sugar factory will cost about much
Touring mill. and can be run at great profit
according to the present experiments. Farmers
are glad raise the cane at So per ton and
at that it pays better than other farm products.
There is an over production Of most farm crops.
making prices ruinously low. and il this
industry will employ portion OF those now
raising other things at no profit, it will give
great relief to the farming classes and open
most promising field for both farmer and man
ufacturer. The annual consumption of sugar
per capita is about forty pounds Our popula-
tion is doubling every twenty years. At the
end of the next twenty-five years we will be
paying at least $500 600 600 for sugar per year.
This money we can keep at home and distribute
among own people. l look upon these
perimenss as being as important to this
country as the the invention of the
that we have sugar plant that can be grown
and converted proftahly in sugar south of the
thirty ninth parallel out OF the reach of early
frosts-to the Gulf of Mexico. and that this
country can and will be independent of every
other nation for sugar. 1t has taken long
time to overcome all of the obstacles that have
been met, but they have been overcome, as it
Southern cane. have arranged for conducting
similar experiments in Louisiana with the rib
bon cane. and We have all the necessary ma
chinery now ready for conducting the most
crucial tests IN comparison with the best
milling processes in existence. AS the
Southern cane does not mature until November,
cannot begin our experiments until that
time, but / am sanguine OF their success.
/ am not unmindfu1 that there has been much
enthusiasm expressed in the past relative to-
sorghum sugar. The trouble under the old sys-
tenn that but forty pounds OF sugar per ton
of cane could be obtained while under the new
system the largely increased yield will prove
prof table industry. even at the present prices Of
sugar may be called enthusiastic. but seeing
is believing, and from what / have seen In tie
past few week / believe that in q few years
time every body will admit there ia very good
grounds for my present enthusiasm.
THE BOND PURCHASES.
The President Mildly Resents What He Con-